As Israel mourns the tragic loss of five soldiers from the Netsach Yehuda haredi battalion this past Tuesday and prays for the recovery of 14 others wounded, it is time to pause and confront a painful truth: there is a relentless effort by some to create an image of all haredi Jews as outsiders in the fight for Israel’s survival. This needs clarification as it is an innaccurate generalization.

The haredim as a community are not sitting on the sidelines. Some of their sons are in uniform. Families are grieving. There are haredi soldiers risking—and losing—their lives in Gaza, standing shoulder to shoulder with their brothers-in-arms. Their blood stains the same sand. Their sacrifice deserves the same honor. To ignore or diminish their contributions is an affront not only to them but to the values of truth, unity, and justice.

Yet we are witnessing an aggressive campaign, largely driven by leftist political motives, to paint the entire haredi community as draft dodgers and societal burdens. Politicians on the left, aided by the current attorney general (who will soon be replaced) are calling for the mass arrest of yeshiva students who do not enlist. Some go as far as to compare them to threats to national security, echoing rhetoric typically reserved for enemies of the state. This demonization must stop.

It is eerily reminiscent of other smear campaigns in history, including the politically motivated Russia hoax used to undermine President Trump during his previous administration with one goal in mind to topple Netanyahu and his government. Once again, we see political actors using smear by creating division to gain power, this time targeting a sector of devout Jews as scapegoats during wartime.

Let’s put things in perspective. The 50,000 Torah students at the heart of this debate are needed because Israel must enlarge its army. Although more soldiers are needed, it’s not the time to topple the government for this and start arresting our own in the streets, but should be addressed with dialogue. Seeking to bring down the government by painting them as the biggest enemy to the state of Israel’s security, toppling the government in a time of war, is much more of a security risk to the state of Israel.

This need was realized during the current war, while before that, the army brass said Israel needed a small, smart army. The haredi young men are not draft dodgers in the traditional sense because they were granted exemptions at the birth of the state, but since their number has grown and the IDF's needs have grown as well, there has to be a change. However, they are only now being given conditions for army service that will preserve their level of observance.

They are members of a religious community that predates the essence of Judaism and the State of Israel, survivors of a tradition nearly wiped out in the Holocaust. We can not let the very same faces and clothing styles displayed in Yad Vashem—beards, black coats, and sidelocks who were arrested in the streets and lined up for deportation by the Nazis — to be dragged into public contempt as the enemy of the state with threats of arresting them in the streets and at checkpoints. Is this something of which to be proud? Are these pictures the Israeli government wants to see on headlines in Germany and around the world?.

Here in the Jewish state, some demand the forced conscription or imprisonment even of those young men who sincerely dedicate their lives to Torah study—a pillar of Jewish continuity that Ben Gurion himself vowed to preserve when Israel was founded. The state should be concentrating on those who are not attending yeshiva seriously, yet the left in Israel want to generalize because they are willing to do anything to push Netanyahu out of office.

Yes, many haredim do not serve in the military. But the numbers are growing. And while it is not the same as serving in combat roles, many contribute—whether through national service, charitable institutions, or keeping alive the heartbeat of Jewish heritage. The light of Torah has guided our people for thousands of years. Today, that light still shines—through the study halls of Bnei Brak, the synagogues of Jerusalem, and even the combat gear of Hashmonaim and Netsach Yehuda soldiers.

Recent reports in the UK show how over 250,000 social media posts promoting Scottish independence—suddenly went silent following a major Israeli airstrike on Iran, pointing to its being an outside smear campaign of political warfare aimed to instigate division and weaken the UK. This underscores a deeper reality: Israel, too, is facing coordinated disinformation campaigns by the left designed to destabilize its society from within.

The same foreign or politically motivated forces are attempting to topple Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government by targeting Israel’s haredi population—falsely scapegoating them as a national threat. These efforts are not organic. They are deliberate, divisive, and dangerous—and they must be exposed and rejected for what they are: foreign-fueled political warfare aimed at tearing apart Israel’s social fabric and leadership in a time of war.

We must stop vilifying a community that represents the soul of our people for political purposes. We must reject political smear campaigns masquerading as national interest. And we must honor those haredi soldiers who died in Gaza not just with our prayers, but with our public recognition and national gratitude.

In this time of war and heartbreak, unity is our only path forward. Increasing the number of haredi recruits is a gradual, but necessary, process. Let us stand together—not just in memory of our fallen, but in defense of the values they died to protect: faith, family, freedom, and the eternal connection of the Jewish people people and the holy Torah.

Duvi Honigis the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Orthodox Jewish Chamber Of CommerceJ-biz Expo.